Which Route Should I Use to Climb Kilimanjaro?

There
are seven established routes to climb Mount Kilimanjaro - Marangu, Machame,
Lemosho, Shira, Rongai, Northern Circuit and Umbwe. The Marangu, Machame, and Umbwe routes
all approach from the south of the mountain (Mweka is used only for descent).
The Lemosho, Shira and Northern Circuit routes approach from the west. The Rongai route approaches
from the north. The illustrations below depict a three-dimensional view
of Kilimanjaro's climbing routes and a close up of the approaches to the
summit.

Selecting
a route is a tough choice for most. To find the best Kilimanjaro route for you, considerations should be taken for the
route's scenery, difficulty, foot traffic and its altitude acclimatization characteristics,
as depicted in the table below. Ultimate Kilimanjaro® has assigned overall
ratings to each route.

It is estimated that tourists climb Kilimanjaro using the routes in the following percentages: Machame (45%), Marangu (40%), Lemosho (8%), Rongai (5%), Shira (1%), Northern Circuit (0%), Umbwe (0%). In contrast, Ultimate Kilimanjaro® clients use Lemosho (77%), Northern (10%), Rongai (6%), Machame (6%) and Marangu (1%). The reason for the difference in route popularity is that we favor the best Kilimanjaro routes - those with the most favorable combination of high success rates, excellent scenery, and low foot traffic.

Detailed
route descriptions, assessments, and profiles can be found below, along with a
map of each of the Kilimanjaro routes.

Marangu
("Coca Cola") Route**

Known
as the "Coca-Cola" route, the Marangu route is a classic trek
on Mount Kilimanjaro. It is the oldest, most well established route. Many
favor the Marangu route because it is considered to be the easiest path
on the mountain, given its gradual slope. It is also the only route which
offers sleeping huts in dormitory style accommodations.

The minimum days required for this route is five, although the probability
of successfully reaching the top in that time period is quite low. Spending
an extra acclimatization day on the mountain is highly recommended when
climbing Klimanjaro using the Marangu route.

However,
despite its immense popularity, we avoid leading climbs on the Marangu route.
The route has the least scenic variety of all the routes because the ascent
and descent are done on the same path and it is the most crowded route for
that reason. Marangu is favored only during the rainy season, where the
hut accommodations are preferred over wet ground, or for those who only
have five days to climb Kilimanjaro (which we do not recommend anyhow).
Otherwise, the Marangu route is a poor choice.

Known
as the "Whiskey" route, the Machame route is now the most popular
route on the mountain. Compared with Marangu, the days on Machame are longer
and the walks are steeper. The Machame route is considered a difficult route,
and is better suited for more adventurous folks and those with some hiking
or backpacking experience.

The route begins from the south, then heads east, traversing underneath Kilimanjaro's southern ice field before summiting. The
minimum number of days required for this route is six days, although seven
days is recommended.

The
Machame route is scenically beautiful and varied. However, due to the heavy
crowds, it loses some of its spendor.

The
Lemosho route is one of the newer routes on Mount Kilimanjaro. The route
begins in the west and rather than simply intersecting Shira Plateau (like
Machame), Lemosho crosses it from Shira Ridge to Shira Camp. Climbers encounter
low traffic until the route joins the Machame route. Afterwards, Lemosho
follows the same route through Lava Tower, Barranco and Barafu, known as
the southern circuit.

The
minimum number of days required for this route is six days, although eight
days is ideal.

Lemosho
is considered the most beautiful route on Kilimanjaro and grants panoramic
vistas on various sides of the mountain. It is our favorite route because
it offers a great balance of low traffic, scenic views and a high summit
success rate. Thus, Lemosho comes highly recommended. Most of our clients use Lemosho.

The
Shira route is another path that approaches Kilimanjaro from the west, and
it is nearly identical to the Lemosho route. In fact, Shira was the original
route and Lemosho is the improved variation. While Lemosho starts at Londorossi
Gate and treks through the rain forest to Shira 1 Camp, the Shira route
bypasses this walk by using a vehicle to transport climbers to Shira Gate,
located near the Shira Ridge.

On
the first day on the mountain, climbers begin their hike from 11,800 feet
(3,600 m) and spend their first night at the same elevation at Simba Camp.
Then, the route merges with Lemosho and follows the southern circuit route.

Although
Shira is a varied and beautiful route, Lemosho is recommended over Shira
due to the high altitude of Shira's starting point. It is possible that
climbers will experience altitude related symptoms on the first day due
to failed acclimatization. Climbers using Shira should be confident of their
ability to acclimatize.

The
Northern Circuit route is the newest, most exciting route on Kilimanjaro. The trek follows the Lemosho trail in the beginning, approaching Kilimanjaro from the west. However, instead of following the southern traverse like all the other west approaching routes, the Northern Circuit traverses the mountain around the quiet, rarely visited northern slopes.

The Northern Circuit route is a nine day climb, which is the longest route in terms of time and distance travelled. The days spent at around 13,000 feet are great for acclimatizion, resulting in the highest success rates for all routes on Mount Kilimanjaro.

With a high success rate, incredible varied scenery and a very low number of visitors, the Northern Circuit route is certainly one of the best routes on Kilimanjaro.

The
Rongai route is the only route that approaches Kilimanjaro from the north,
close to the Kenyan border. Though gaining popularity amongst climbers,
Rongai has low traffic. It is the preferred route for those looking for
an alternative to the crowded Marangu route, for those who would like a
more remote hike, and for those who are climbing during the rainy season
(the north side receives less precipitation).

The
minimum number of days required for this route is six days, and seven days
are recommended.

Although
the scenery is not as varied as
the western routes, Rongai makes up for this by passing through true wilderness
areas for days before joining the Marangu route at Kibo camp. This route
descends down the Marangu route. Rongai is a moderately difficult route,
and is highly recommended, especially for those with less backpacking experience.

The
Umbwe route is a short, steep and direct route. It is considered to be very
difficult and is the most challenging way up Mount Kilimanjaro. Due to the
quick ascent, Umbwe does not provide the necessary stages for altitude acclimatization.
Although the traffic on this route is very low, the chances of success are
also low.

The
route is offered at a minimum of six days, though seven days is recommended
when attempting this route.

The
Umbwe route should only be attempted by those who are very strong hikers
and are confident in their ability to acclimatize. However, overall, the
Umbwe route is not recommended and we discourage its usage for our clients.

Near
Uhuru Peak is the Kibo's crater, called Reutsch Crater (19,140 ft/5,800 m). Between Reutsch Crater and the summit is one of Mount Kilimanjaro's last remaining glaciers, Furtwangler Glacier.
There is a nearby campsite here,
commonly called Crater Camp (18,800 feet/5,750 m), that can be used
the night before or preferably after the summit attempt.

Crater Camp is a unique place. Climbers can explore the glaciers and even take a one hour hike to Reutsch Crater and the ash pit. The magnificent crater is almost perfectly circular and the ash pit measures
400 feet (120 m) deep and 1,300 feet (400 m) wide. This is rarely seen by tourists. The video below puts the size of the ash pit and crater into perspective.

We understand the attraction of staying at Crater Camp. However, the drawback of sleeping
at this high altitude is that it is pretty dangerous. Serious AMS can develop if adequate
altitude acclimatization has not been achieved. Ultimate Kilimanjaro® operates private climbs using Crater Camp on the 9 day Lemosho route and 10 day Northern Circuit route. Crater Camp adds one day to the standard itineraries on 8 day Lemosho and 9 day Northern Circuit. We leave for the summit during daylight hours and stay at Crater Camp after the summit for better acclimatization (see Should We Sleep at Crater Camp?).

On all other Kilimanjaro routes, only the guides and clients summit while the rest of the mountain crew remains at high camp (i.e. Barafu). Using Crater Camp requires significantly more effort on our part as the entire mountain crew, along with all of the expedition equipment, has to ascend 4,000 feet higher than they normally would. Therefore, there is considerable added cost to do a Crater Camp route. Due to safety concerns for clients and staff, these routes are done only by special request and are subject to approval by Ultimate Kilimanjaro®.

An alternative route to the summit approaches Uhuru Peak from the west, called
the Western Breach. The strenuous Western Breach ascends 2,800 ft (850 m)
in about 1.25 miles (2 km), and requires some scrambling (climbing on hands
and feet) at certain points. This path is very beautiful but also very challenging
due to its rocky, steep slope. The
Western Breach was gaining popularity by climbers using the Umbwe, Lemosho,
Shira and Machame routes until rockfall claimed the lives of three climbers
in January 2006. In response, Kilimanjaro National Park (KINAPA) closed the
Western Breach.

The
Western Breach re-opened in December 2007. However, the route is still considered
by prominent Kilimanjaro operators to be unsafe and to carry an unreasonable
degree of risk. Ultimate Kilimanjaro® no longer utilizes the Western Breach
approach due to safety concerns for clients and staff.

Fifty
miles (80 km) west of Mount Kilimanjaro lies is an often overlooked, but
spectacular volcano. Mount
Meru is 14,980 feet (4,565 m) high, and serves as a great warm up before
climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (19,341 ft/5,895 m). In fact, it is ideal for
altitude acclimatization and you may elect to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with
a lower number of days after climbing Meru. On the mountain, there is a
good chance of seeing wildlife, and the crowds that can plague Kilimanjaro
are non-existent here. Many people who climb both mountains have a quiet
preference for the humble Mount Meru.